Bleacher Report - Articles by Rick Martin

Golf's True Hero: Jimmy Demaret

Rick Martin — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:26:14 -0400

Jimmy Demaret the three time Master winner, was born James Newton Demaret in Houston, Texas. He grew up in Houston, started caddying in 1920 at the age of eight. By age 11 won his first competitive tournament in 1923. Demaret professional golf career started while he was only two years into high school.

In 1934 when he won the Texas PGA Championship in Dallas. Demaret spent the rest of the Great Depression touring and playing in minor tournaments in Texas and California. In 1938, after he won his fifth consecutive Texas PGA title, Demaret joined the regular tour and captured his first victory by beating Sam Snead in a Match Play.

One of Demaret's finest seasons on the professional circuit was in 1940 when he won seven events, including the U.S. Masters and the Western Open. His Masters victory was record-setting in that he shot 67 in the first round. His score of 30 over the last nine holes, comprised of six birdies and three pars, was the lowest to that date. In 1941 Demaret won three tournaments, among them the Argentine Open, and in 1943 he added two more minor events.

Demaret's career was interrupted at the most unfortunate time because he was at the top of his game in the early 1940s. Demaret served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After winning several minor tournaments in 1945-1946, Demaret came back in 1947 with another impressive season.

That year he won six titles, including his second Masters, beating Byron Nelson by two strokes. He also collected the Vardon Trophy, given to the PGA tour player with the season's lowest stroke average, and he was the tour's leading money winner, collecting $27,936.

In 1948 he broke the U.S. Open scoring record with a 278 at the Riviera Country Club, but was defeated by two strokes by Ben Hogan.

What was not well known was Jimmy Demaret was one of Hogan's few and closest friends, and in 1954 he published My Partner, Ben Hogan, a book that chronicled the life and career of Hogan in the aftermath of his life-threatening auto accident.

Demaret and Hogan were a feared match-play team in four-ball tournaments and in Ryder Cup matches. Jimmy Demaret's Ryder Cup record from 1947 to 1951 was a perfect six wins and no losses. He won his third Masters, and his last major title, in 1950.

Jimmy Demaret never won the U.S. Open, the British Open, or the PGA Championship, he did win 44 professional events, and became the first man to win three Masters titles, and was elected to the PGA Golf Hall of Fame in 1960. Demaret retired from competitive golf in 1963.

Jimmy Demaret spent the last twenty years of his life working as a television commentator, as host of the "Wonderful World of Golf" series during the 1960s, and as a consultant to a golf club manufacturer.

The majority of his retirement, however, was spent managing the Champions Golf Club and privately assisting a young impressionable golfer by the name of Rick Martin the son of his very good friend Mike Martin.

Champions Golf Course is just one of Jimmy Demaret's legacies to the game of golf and was the site of the 1967 Ryder Cup matches and the 1968 U.S. Open. Demaret died of heart attack while working on the course he designed and built.

Demaret's professional record, while quite respectable, was sometimes overshadowed by his popular personality and incredible sense of style. He was golf's most colorful figure in golf's conservative era. His trademark was not so much his solid and steady game as it was his wonderful sense of humor and outlandish wardrobe.

Demaret adorned himself in custom made in New York electric blue, bright apricot, or canary yellow. Behind the smile was a respected and loved player who made a significant contribution as one of the game's finest ambassadors.

Sam Snead observed, "Of all the guys on the tour, I think Demaret was more well-liked than anybody, by the pros and the fans both. He was a wonderful guy."

Jimmy Demaret is the only golfer from the past that never really seems to ever recieve the kudos he so truly deserves. If not for him, we wouldn't ever had The Senior Tour, Style, or Humor.

I was blessed to know, and receive both life and golf instruction from Both Jimmy Demaret and his life long friend Jack Burke Jr. Together they gave me a wonderful respect for the game and life.

Golf Will Put You Above the Problems of Your Daily Life

Rick Martin — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:47:54 -0400

Playing Golf Will Put You Above the Problems of Daily Life

It seems no matter how hard life kicks me down, I always find myself something to smile about on the golf course. The game of golf has changed so many lives for the better though charitable giving, it's teaching of self control, and it provides a place to concur all our inter demons that seek to hold us back in life.

If you've given up the game because you lack the ability to play well, I urge you to get back out there and find a new good instructor. Let yourself ask for the help you need to play well. You lose something special if you give up on yourself, and the wonder game of golf.

The game of golf will never grow old. It challenges us always to stay focused with our ambitions, goals, and dreams

A good round of golf gives us that "On Top of The World" feeling that will always continue to bring us coming back for more.

Dust off those club, find a good instructor, and go find yourself again out on the golf course. You'll become a better you for it.

Training Your Mind To Win

Rick Martin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:49:11 -0400

Have YOU ever felt like you were loosing your mind? Felt like the world was closing in on you? Your life was just an endless pursuit of chasing your own tail? Every day the same old grind? Are YOU stuck in a rut that you can seem to escape? Are You looking for some meaning to your own existence?

You are not alone my friends, the world has gone crazy. People today have lost sight of their own dreams, chasing after only the dreams society has deemed acceptable.

I'm no expert, but if you spend your life in pursuit of chasing after the dreams of others; how can you really expect to find true inner peace and happiness in your own life?

I watch many of you, day after day, following the paths of the in crowd. When the blind lead the blind, it's only the ditch that awaits. You finally wake up someday only to find, you wasted most your life chasing after what society has told you is happiness.

If you don't follow your own heart, how could you ever have believed you'd ever be truly happy? I hear every day "If I only had this, If I only had that, I'd be happy," these are the words of the lost.

Look inside yourself with honest eyes, whose dreams are you really chasing? Are YOU chasing after the ways you want society to view you, or the ways you truly want to perceive yourself? If you live life in a box, your mind has walls. Life is limited for those who can't follow their own dreams.

If you read this thinking I have the answers to your dilemma; you are looking in the wrong place my friend. The answers are locked inside yourself. Open your mind, not to society, but to yourself and your own dreams. Following society has put you in this ditch, and only you can get yourself out.

If you can find happiness in the daily struggles of life, you will find your Happiness! It's in the overcoming of the struggles that brings satisfaction to your life. Without the struggles, we'd have no satisfaction. So view the struggles as an opportunity for real happiness. Live your own life, and YOU will find your smile again.

If your not a golfer, you may consider taking up the sport. Golf is an individual sport that teach you focus, patients, and control over self. Golf is 98% mental, 2% physical. It is a sport that will teach you a lot about yourself and your flaws. You can only improve in this sport, and life by defeating your own demons in your life.

Rick Martin's Golf For a Living

Rick Martin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:54:48 -0400

Do you want to make money and play your favorite game at the same time? Who doesn't? No matter how old you are, it isn't too late to work in the world of golf. But, you will need to attend a golf school if you are serious about it. Don't worry, relax. Going to golf school can be a great deal of fun. You'll advance your game, play a little, and have a blast in the process!

It may sound like a dream come true and like most dreams it's going to take some hard work to get to your destination. The effort is worth it. Do you want to look back on your life spent in a cubicle or do you want to give what you love a shot? And you can always keep trying if you don't get there off the bat. Who cares if you fail a few times!?

If you want to someday teach beginners' golf, you should start looking for an accredited golf school to learn from. A well-rounded golf education is required if you are serious about learning the business side of golf. The good news is that attending golf school can be really fun as well as educational. Who doesn't like that?

Top notch golf schools teach students not only about proper golf equipment needed to play the right way, but also about the fundamental golf skills every golfer needs to recognize.

Golf academies serve to educate their students about the business side of golf. This is the first step when you are learning how to teach golf to others, especially beginners. After all, you are going to be getting money for your services which will require a little bit of training too.

Accredited golf academies offer applicants up to date courses taught by master golfers. These instructors transfer their knowledge of the game and the business to their students. If you want to be a pro, you've got to learn from the pros.

As a student, you will interact and meet other aspiring pro golfers who share the same passion and energy for golf that you do. You can share tips and stories with these new found colleagues. Getting to know them can be a lot of fun.

The experiences that you take from golf school can last a lifetime. In fact, some of your fondest memories can come from a school experience. Yes, I know we all have dreaded memories from educational experiences past, but you are paying for this—it's a market, so the school you attend better give value. And "value" doesn't should mean tough instructors.

In golf school, you will grow as a golfer simply by regularly hanging around golf professionals. Furthermore, this will open doors from you by giving you the opportunity to meet prominent pro golfers. This exposure can be invaluable. And depending on the school you attend, some of your instructors may be former stars. How exciting!

As you can see, golf can be more than just a part-time sport or hobby. It can be a lifestyle. So, why not make your favorite hobby into an occupation? While you may have a job that you satisfactory right now, is it really better than getting up and golfing every day? Now, that would be enjoyable!